


We're Not Bruised, They're Just Party Tattoos

by lindsaytugg_jones



Category: RWBY
Genre: (in which grimm don't exist and Sun is adopted into the belladonna family), Alternate Universe, Angst, F/F, F/M, Hurt/Comfort, Minor Character Death, Psychological Trauma, Underage Drinking, Violence (brief mention)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-12
Updated: 2017-09-12
Packaged: 2018-12-29 02:36:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,502
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12072828
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lindsaytugg_jones/pseuds/lindsaytugg_jones
Summary: In which Sun’s a little self-destructive, Ruby sees right through him, and he finally lets it all out.





	We're Not Bruised, They're Just Party Tattoos

**Author's Note:**

> First fic I'm posting here so please be nice to me <3
> 
> Also I wrote this while I have the flu so if it isn't that good I'm really sorry!! I promise I will try to do better with every fic.
> 
> (btw this is just one oneshot out of many I plan to do all set in the same universe. Idk if they're gonna be in order or not yet tho)
> 
> Edit: I forgot to mention that it's only technically underage drinking if you think of it like America. They're all 18-19, which is legal in my country (Australia) and places like Britain. Some people still don't like that, but if you think it's illegal drinking, don't worry! I just tagged it as underage for Americans <3

“You’ve been out here a while.”

He turns his head as soon as he hears her voice, tensing up just slightly as he smiles down at her.

“It’s a bit loud in there for me…” he says, staring back into Ruby’s house at the party going on inside. He can see his sister making out with Ruby’s friend Weiss, and Yang doing shots in the kitchen. He’s happy that his sister has finally found someone good for her, but not even a party could distract him from this anniversary.

“Funny, parties are never loud _ enough _ for you.” Ruby says, sitting down next to him at the edge of the pool after kicking her shoes off, and dipping in her toes.

“Yeah,” he shrugs, “I guess I’m just not feeling my best today. Maybe I’m sick or something.” He laughs, setting his drink down next to him now that it’s gotten warm, and kicks his feet through the water. He likes watching the ripples slowly dissipate.

“Hm, I’d almost believe you if it wasn’t for last July… I remember you throwing up on four different occasions and still managing to get up every time and come back to the party. Remind me to make you stay in bed next time you have the flu.” She jokes, but it isn’t in a mean way, something only Ruby seems to be able to manage.

“Heh… Yeah, that was a fun night. Even though I was in agony, it was nice having you there taking care of me. Blake, too. Before then it felt like… I don’t know, we weren’t as close maybe? But I think she understood why I wanted to keep going.” He’s more just thinking aloud at this point, remembering back to a time where he was only just newly part of Blake’s family, where they didn’t get each other like they do now. 

“That was over a year ago now, right? By a couple of days…” Ruby says, and she gives him a knowing smile before setting down her own drink and shuffling forward so her feet can finally reach the water. Her legs are nowhere near as long as his, so she can’t sit hip-to-hip with him.

He hums, grabbing his drink with his tail and taking a sip, more just for something to distract himself with now that he knows Ruby knows.

“Sun,” she says, quietly like she’s afraid he might run, “I know we aren’t as close as you and Blake-- or even you and Yang-- but… I can’t help noticing that you get like this around the same time every year… Saying you’re just sick or tired. I know we’ve all only known you three years… But I guess I’ve just noticed a pattern.”

He sets his mouth in a hard line while he thinks about what to say-- anything that might help change the subject, or convince her he’s fine-- but nothing comes to mind and he just stares at the water awkwardly for a few moments. What is there to say when she’s left him with no escape? She’s always so clear with what she wants, never mincing her words. She knows he isn’t dumb, despite his act.

“I wouldn’t ask if… If I didn’t think that it was something I might be able to help with. I know that might be presuming too much and I might be overstepping here but-... But I guess I’m just asking for your trust here. Whether you just need to talk about it, or you need a distraction, a funny joke… I want you to know I’m here. I may not be perfect at cheering you up, but that’s the charm, right? Awkward and quirky Ruby… The weird younger sister of the cool and confident Yang.”

She’s rambling from nerves, staring up at the stars to avoid looking at him, and suddenly he feels bad for making her feel uncomfortable when all he wanted to do was skulk outside alone for a few hours. He didn’t think anyone would miss him too much; not when Blake is having so much fun with her girlfriend and the others are enjoying the pep talks Yang keeps giving them.

He never thought Ruby would feel like the odd one out like him.

“I don’t think you’re weird.” Sun says, matching her quiet tone from earlier, looking up at the sky and trying to see how many constellations he can name. It’s not many.

He can visibly see her tense from the corner of his eye, whether it’s because she’s surprised or uncomfortable he doesn’t know.

“I think you’re the only one,” she laughs, “but… Thanks, I guess. I don’t think you’re weird either.” She leans back to bump his shoulder, and grins up at him. He looks down at her with amusement and bumps her shoulder back.

And when she still looks at him expectantly, he decides to give her his trust.

“Remember when I first came here?” he asks, looking back towards the stars before closing his eyes, “It feels like a lifetime ago that I stowed away on that ship and traveled thousands of miles just to get to Vale.”

He can remember it vividly, can remember how cramped it was below deck, the musty smell of rotting wood and the neverending rocking that made him feel more sick with each passing second. He can remember how good it felt just to get out of there, to break out into the sun after weeks of only stealing moments of fresh air here and there. He’d been wobbly at first, but still maintained his usual elegant balance as he tossed himself overboard and onto the docks, mocking the crewman that had failed to see him for so long. It had felt good just to get in a laugh.

“Did you know, I didn’t even know where that boat was going when I got on it? I sort of just… Climbed onto the first boat I could find and hoped it’d leave soon enough. I spent weeks on that stupid ship, wondering if today would be the day I’d starve, or catch a disease or something… Whether I’d be caught. I mean, I’m the stealthiest guy I know, but you can only push your luck for so long.” He lets himself go quiet for a moment, opening his eyes to look at the moon and thinking of a time where he used to think the moon was some sort of god he could make wishes to. Where he used to sit at his window, eagerly awaiting sunset so he could finally see the moon and talk to it, tell it about his day and wish to get a dragon for his birthday, or a truckload of bananas.

He thinks of a simpler time.

“When I finally got out, I had no idea where to go. I was running from the cops, but I passed this beautiful girl and her friends… I guess I took an interest. You know where it all goes from there. You guys find out Blake’s a Faunus, meet her family, blah blah blah…” He trails off, preparing himself to explain why he left Vacuo in the first place.

“I’ll admit that Blake’s pretty good-looking, Sun, but it’s still kinda weird to hear you say that when you’re practically her brother at this point.” Ruby laughs, sparing a glance back inside at Blake, who is still caught up in Weiss’ arms.

Sun finds himself blushing while she’s not looking, not having meant his sister. “Maybe I didn’t mean her.” He says, deciding to act flirty and send Ruby a wink, rather than show his embarrassment.

“...Yang?” Is all Ruby says, tilting her head in confusion. It takes all Sun has not to hit himself in the face.

“Anyway,” he continues on, “the reason I left Vacuo in the first place is… Hard to explain I guess. I mean, it’s a pretty simple reason, but actually talking about it is… Difficult.” He frowns, playing with his fingers for a few moments. He knew this wouldn’t be easy.

But he wants to trust her.

“I’ve talked about how I despise the White Fang before, right? I used to get what they were trying to do, but I’ve always thought they went about it the wrong way… You can’t make people like you through force. Sure, they’ll fear you and treat you differently, but that’s not always a good thing. I mean, how many empires lasted that were based on strength and fear? None. The only way people will accept you is by showing them that you’re a good person, that they can trust you. You can’t fight fire with fire.” He says, stopping himself from ranting even more.

“Anyway, like I said, I used to  _ understand _ what they were doing. I used to want the same thing. Was more on the fence about the whole thing back then, I guess. But… My parents knew better than me. From the start, they knew how this would all end. I guess they’d seen stuff like that before, or maybe they were just smart. They told me to stay away from the White Fang, they told me what they would become, and they were right. We could all sense it starting; when the protests started getting less and less peaceful, when people started screaming every night, when buildings were burned down and dust shops were robbed. People were scared.”

Sun shudders, the memory of the fire and destruction still permanently planted in his mind. When he looks back at Ruby, she’s staring at him intently, prompting him to continue without actually asking.

“But it was… Nothing, compared to the last protest. They just kept pushing and pushing, of course people would start to break. It started with an accident, one push too far. People in Vacuo aren’t all that forgiving anyway, but they couldn’t ignore a murder. An innocent child… Trapped in a building the White Fang had set ablaze. Nobody could stop it, it was too late. Then they’d gone too far, and even if none of them had wanted to kill somebody, the humans… Just snapped. They started killing all Faunus, regardless of whether they were White Fang or not.” His voice breaks off towards the end and he clenches his fists.

Ruby places her warm hands over his, and it does wonders for his anger. Almost immediately it disappears, replaced instead with grief.

“Sun…” She whispers, her tone implying that she doesn’t want to push him. He could use it as an out, could try and regain his composure- But that would just be running again. He doesn’t want to run anymore.

“We didn’t even stand a chance. We were trying to  _ leave _ , we didn’t want any part of what was about to happen. Not like the humans cared, they just… Wanted revenge. That’s the problem with fighting fire with fire; nobody  _ wins _ , we all just get burnt. After that I just… Ran. Got on the first boat out of Vacuo and hoped I wouldn’t be found.”

His hands tremble underneath Ruby’s and he feels tears burning in his eyes. It’s been so long since he opened up about this. It’s been three whole years and the wound is still as fresh as the day it was made.

“I never knew…” Ruby says, her voice breaking right along with his, “I thought there was  _ something _ , but never… Never like this.”

They sit in silence for a minute or two, though it seems like hours. Sun fights to compose himself, to push back his tears, but he can’t help the few that escape. His body shakes involuntarily and he knows Ruby can feel it.

“I just-” he starts, voice filled with anger and regret, “I just… Wish I could have done something, instead of running away. I know I was only sixteen, but… I still feel like I could have done something.”

He remembers back to when that’s all he ever did: run. Run from his problems, try to ignore awkward situations, hide from the truth. Every situation he was faced with when he was younger, he dealt with it by running. Now he’s all burnt out and has nowhere left to run. He has to face the music and admit to himself that things aren’t okay.

“You were practically just a kid, Sun,” Ruby insists, pulling him towards her so she can wrap her small arms around his large frame, “I’m sure your parents would have wanted you to be alive rather than die trying to be a hero.”

Realistically, he  _ knows _ it’s the truth, but it’s still hard to let go all of the regret he’s been holding onto for these three years. “You’re right, as per usual… I’m sure they would be happy I ran, I’m sure if they’re watching over me from somewhere, they’re happy that I’ve got friends and family, I’m sure they’re glad I still got to live. But… There’ll always part of me that will wonder, y’know? What if I  _ had _ tried to fight? I guess… I’ll have to try and let go of all this guilt, but I also don’t think it’s right for me to forget my past. It’s what keeps me going forward, remembering my worst day and thinking about how in the future, I might make something of my life despite of it.”

For now, he’s done talking; emotionally drained and tired from getting almost no sleep for the past week and a half, he just wants to go home to his bed and sleep for a while. 

“Y’know… I always respected that part of you. The drive that keeps you going even at your lowest points, fighting with your teeth and nails like you enjoy it, smiling through the pain and making it seem so easy.” Ruby says and smiles at him, pulling her feet out of the water. Goosebumps cover her legs and arms and she’s shivering, and it dawns on Sun suddenly that she stayed outside in the cold for him. Maybe she came out to cool off, or maybe she was worried, but she stayed for him. She listened.

His heart pounds in his chest suddenly, moved by her words and the fact that she didn’t even ask if they could go inside where it was warm, or if they could sit away from the pool. 

“Funny, I always thought the same of you,” he smiles back at her and pulls himself out of the pool, “but now I think we should go back to the party and stop Yang from permanently destroying her liver, huh? After that I think I’ll just play the fly on the wall for the rest of the night.”

Sun shakes off the water from his tail and grabs his drink, finishing it off before heading out the pool gate, quickly followed by Ruby.

“I think I’ll join you. I never really liked parties like this anyway; too many people for me.”


End file.
